Nigel Clough aware of threat Doncaster Rovers pose to Mansfield Town ahead of League One showdown
Just one point currently separates Mansfield Town and Doncaster Rovers ahead of their meeting on Friday.
Both sides are eager to surpass the 50 point mark in the League One table as they head into the final weeks of this rollercoaster season. Stags are 16th in the league standings, while Rovers are a place ahead.
The two sides are currently in a similar run of form, with Stags unbeaten in six games and their rivals now five without defeat. The priority for both clubs is to finish with as many points in the bank, as the general belief across the board is that it will take more than 50 points to guarantee safety.
Nigel Clough is aware of how Stags and Rovers have been on similar runs this season, with Grant McCann guiding his side through their first campaign back in League One. Doncaster lifted the League Two trophy last season and secured their return to England’s third tier following a three year absence.
“I think we’re very similar and the league records reflect that. It just comes down to on the day, who is going to produce a little bit of magic or a bit of quality. Both teams are capable of it but it’s down to who produces it on the day,” Clough said ahead of Friday’s match.
“It’s almost a local game for us. So these games are as close to a local derby as we’ll get at this stage. They are one of the teams who can do the double over us in the last nine games.”
Rovers have the chance to take six points from Stags this season, having beaten them 2-1 at the One Call Stadium back in August. Clough is aware of the threat this Doncaster side poses, despite them dropping 23 points at home throughout the campaign so far. Mansfield have also shown they can upset sides away from home but he believes the stakes are too high heading into this clash to rely too much on that.
“I think the local derby takes a little bit of that out of it but they are in a good run of form, so I just hope we can perform well for our travelling supporters, similar to what we have done in the last few weeks.
“[Doncaster have been] similar to our first season in terms of ups and downs. They started incredibly well and then went on a losing run, which you can do easily in the league, and have now picked up again. I think Grant has done fantastic first of all to get them back into League One, and it looks as though they’re going to survive as well.”